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Tissenbaum makes most of long drive

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It's not at all uncommon for Minor League players to drive to Arizona for the beginning of Spring Training, though many of them -- especially from great distances -- opt to fly.

Maxx Tissenbaum, a second baseman who reported this week for prospect mini-camp, didn't just drive to Peoria, he made the trip an adventure.

Along with his mother, Lisa, and grandmother, Susan, the three put some 3,600 miles on Tissenbaum's Jeep Compass on a five-day trip from Toronto with stays in Cincinnati, Nashville, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque before pushing through to Arizona.

"Everyone volunteered to go, including my dad and grandpa," said Tissenbaum, an 11th-round Draft pick out of Stony Brook University. "My grandma is a history buff. She was sort of the tour guide. My mom is a foodie. I wanted to go to Nashville to hear some country music bands."

So off the three went, making one notable detour before arriving in Nashville.

"Once we were driving and on the way to Nashville, I saw signs for Louisville and wondered if we could go there," Tissenbaum said.

So on President's Day, the three stopped for a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum, where he was able to purchase two bats that he's already used here in Arizona for batting practice.

Tissenbaum's mother used the Guy Fieri show on Food Network -- Diners, Drive-ins and Dives -- as her guide for notable stops for food along the way.

Tissenbaum's mother and grandmother have since flown back to Toronto, leaving him and his well-traveled Jeep in Peoria for the duration of Spring Training.

Would Tissenbaum make the same trip against next spring?

"I would, but I'd make it so I would be in Nashville on the weekend to hear some music and maybe see a hockey game," he said.